September 1st, King's Cross Station.
Rove was pushing a cart loaded up with "battle gear," parked right between Platforms 9 and 10.
Under his black robe, he had his blackthorn wand tucked away, a frying pan hanging from his belt, and in the cage, his black owl Crebain was eyeballing everything around them like a hawk.
"No way in." Rove muttered under his breath, his fingers lightly drumming on the brick wall between the two platforms.
To regular folks, it was just a plain old wall. But through Rove's system filter, faint starlight was shimmering across it.
[Magical barrier detected]
[Type: Space warp / Hidden shield]
[System assessment: Knock-off version of Durin's Door]
[Details: This is a gateway to uncharted territory—only buddies with the right password get through.]
"Durin's Door!" Rove sucked in a sharp breath. He knew all about the west gate to the Moria mines, of course.
He glanced left and right, making sure none of that noseless Dark Lord's goons were lurking around, then leaned in close to the wall and whispered:
"Mellon (friend)?"
The wall didn't budge.
Rove frowned. Wrong code?
"Edro (open)?" He tried a different one.
Still nothing.
"Could it be Annon edhellen, edro hi ammen (Elven gate, swing open for me with this command)?" Rove rattled off a long string in Sindarin.
A station guard walking by shot him a look like he was dealing with a total nutjob mumbling at a wall.
Just as Rove was debating whether to give the wall a good whack with his frying pan for some old-school brute force, a racket kicked up behind him.
"It's packed with Muggles, that's all I'm saying."
Rove whipped around.
A bunch of redheads were filing through the ticket barrier. Leading the pack was a short, stocky woman, trailed by a whole line of red-haired kids, all shoving carts just like his—even topped with an owl.
[Scan complete]
[Target group: Weasley family]
[Race assessment: Human / Brandybuck Hobbits]
[Traits: Red hair (sure, they're tall, but clearly mutated from chugging some Ent-draught), loud, and a little reckless.]
[Faction: Totally neutral / Possible allies]
Brandybuck Hobbits! Those were the toughest bunch of Hobbits around, living on the far side of the Brandywine River, big fans of boating, swimming, and chasing thrills!
The stocky woman and her kids were chatting away when she suddenly glanced over Rove's shoulder.
Rove turned and spotted the "Ring-Bearer" Harry Potter, who'd somehow rolled up with his cart, staring at the redheads with a totally lost look on his face.
"Um, excuse me," Harry worked up the nerve to ask the woman, "How do I...?"
"Hello, sweetie." The woman smiled warmly. "First time heading to Hogwarts? Ron's a newbie too."
She nodded toward the last kid in line—a tall, lanky guy with freckles and oversized hands and feet.
Rove's eyes zeroed in on the boy.
[Target: Ron Weasley]
[System assessment: Samwise Gamgee in training]
[Potential: Loyal sidekick / The one who carries the load at the end]
[Details: He looks totally average, maybe even a bit goofy and endearing, but he's got a heart of gold. At the edge of the volcano, he might be the only one who can haul the hero.]
"Got it." A lightbulb went off in Rove's head. If Gandalf (Dumbledore) had set up Sam (Ron) to hang out at this stop, then cracking this door had to tie back to them somehow.
"How do we get across?" Harry voiced the question buzzing in Rove's mind.
"No worries," the woman said, "Just charge straight at the barrier between 9 and 10. Don't stop, don't freak out, or you'll smack right into it. That's key for you. Best to jog at it."
What?
Rove's eyes bugged out in shock.
Just ram into it? No shields up? No spells?
It was like Aragorn telling Frodo: "Wanna get into Moria? Go ahead and headbutt that multi-ton stone slab!"
Next thing he knew, the little girl named Ginny actually did it. She shoved her cart, picked up speed, and poof—gone.
Then the pair who looked like twins.
[Warning! Spatial ripple detected!]
[Assessment: Straight-up crash-through / Leap of faith]
"Gotcha," Rove whispered to himself, "This isn't about some magic passphrase quiz—it's a guts check! Only the bold warriors make it past this thing!"
Talk about intense! No wonder it's a school for training fighters against the Dark Lord!
Now it was Ron's go.
"Good luck." Rove piped up out of nowhere.
Ron jumped, spinning to face the kid who'd been hovering by the wall, staring it down. Now Rove was giving him this intense look, like he was sending off a buddy to storm the beaches.
"Uh, thanks?" Ron stammered, a little thrown.
"Remember, fear's your worst enemy." Rove clapped him on the shoulder. "When you're charging, keep your eyes open—stare that enemy wall down."
Ron gulped, thinking this guy was odd, but the dead-serious vibe made him feel weirdly pumped up, like he was actually tough. He sucked in a breath, shoved his cart forward, and vanished into the wall.
"Okay, your turn." The woman turned to Harry.
Harry looked like he was about to lose his lunch.
"Don't sweat it, Ring-Bearer." Rove rolled his cart up beside Harry. "Sam's already in there—you've got no excuse to bail. Stick with me."
Harry was still processing what "Ring-Bearer" and "Sam" even meant when Rove dropped low, getting into a textbook charge stance.
It was straight out of a knight's lance charge.
"For the North! For the hairline!"
Rove let out a low growl and bolted.
His eyes locked on the brick wall, one hand on the cart, the other gripping his blackthorn wand, primed to bash the thing down if the jump flopped.
Thud?
No crash like he braced for.
After a quick blackout, everything cleared up.
A deep crimson steam engine sat on a packed platform. The sign on the train read: Hogwarts Express, 11 a.m.
But in Rove's view, the whole scene was flipped.
[New map unlocked: King's Cross Station, Grey Havens / Isengard Forge]
[Target ride: Hogwarts Express, Iron Dragon / Steam Wrecking Machine]
[Threat level: Medium (It's on our side, but this hulking metal monster's belching out thick smoke, reeking of that nasty factory pollution vibe)]
"An iron monster," Rove eyed the massive engine, his brow furrowed. "Saruman's tech has snuck in here too?"
Harry came huffing out behind him, spotting Rove in full defense mode against the engine, and froze.
"That's just a train, Rove." Harry said cautiously. "We see 'em all the time in the regular world."
"Nah, Harry." Rove eased off the stance, but kept his serious face. "You're only seeing the outside. This isn't some ride—it's a beast we've broken in, and it's hauling us straight to the heart of the fight."
Harry: "..."
He figured Rove could use some extra chocolate, or maybe a check-up.
"Hey, need a lift?"
One of the redheaded twins stuck his head out, eyeing Rove as he geared up to haul his stuff onto the train.
"You Fred? Or George?" Rove glanced at his system readout.
[Target: Fred Weasley]
[System assessment: Merry, troublemaker / Scout]
"I'm Fred." The kid grinned. "That's George."
"Want some help?" The identical twin sidled up. "Dude, that charge you did back there was awesome—like a soldier from the trenches about to take out a pillbox."
"That's classic Rohan cavalry tactics." Rove corrected him straight-faced. "Appreciate the backup, Merry, Pippin. I mean, Fred, George."
The twins swapped looks, excitement sparking in their eyes.
"Awesome!" they chimed together.
They helped Rove hoist his gear aboard. Rove spotted Ron already staking out a compartment, peeking out curiously.
"Mission accomplished." Rove brushed off his hands as a golden popup flashed in his view.
[Main quest updated: Fog crossing done]
[Reward dropped: Galleons x 100]
[Note: This is your startup cash as part of the crew. Spend it smart—don't go all greedy like those dwarves.]
Rove patted the now-hefty pouch in his pocket, a grin tugging at his lips.
With some cash, he could stock up on more "Lembas" (chocolate bars and energy rations). In a dragged-out war like this, keeping the supplies flowing was priority one!